Johannah Brockie

Year Graduated: 2018 

Area of Emphasis: Gender and Development 

Other Education: Certificate in Civic Engagement and Global Citizenship, University of Guelph (2018) and American Sign Language Certificate, Seneca College (In progress)

Current Employment Role: Menstrual Equity Lead at Changing The Flow

What development issues are most important or of the most interest to you? 

“Most important is hard to say just because there’s so much interconnectedness. But I would say in terms of where my interest lies the most is probably within the sphere of gender justice, specifically with promoting menstrual equity and the development of women's entrepreneurial skills, and I think that impact ripples and has an effect on the whole community. But I also hope that I can contribute to these spaces in a way that promotes women's well-being and value beyond the economic benefits they bring to their communities: they are also human. I think that’s what I like to bring to that conversation, just humanization and developing empathy and respect.” 

What advice would you give to a current IDS undergraduate student? 

“Have more fun. Like, you do undergrad once. You will be okay in classes, you’ll be fine, you’re doing great. But have fun. Don’t turn down opportunities that are fun and enriching and enjoyable, even if they’re not fully academically focused. Because I am very type A, I was like, I need to do every extracurricular, I need to maintain whatever in my classes. No, you don’t. Just take a breath. It’s not worth compromising your mental health, take care of yourself. Take care of yourself and have fun. I think those would be my main pieces of advice […] My other piece of advice, look up grants, for everything. People have so much free money that they’re giving away and they can’t give it away sometimes because no one applies for it. Always look for free money.”